Ice-machine.



H. 1). POWNALL ICE MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented May 16 H. D. POWNALL.

Patented May 16, 1911.

2 BHEBTS-SHEET 2.

UNITED; sTAtr s HENRY D. POWNALL, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ICE-MACHINE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '16, 1911.

Application filed June '22, 1910. Serial No. 568,251.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, HENRY D. PowNALL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ice machines.

One of itsv objects is to provide improved brine cooling mechanism in which a liquefiable gas in the liquid state is employed.

Another object is to provide improved mechanism, the components of which are capable of being conveniently assembled into units, of the desired dimensions, and as many units as desired united into a cooling system, whereby duplicate parts may be employed for installations of different sizes.

Another object is to rovide for a large cooling surface and an e asticity in construction of the respective units.

It further consists in certain details of form, combination, and arrangement, all of I chine brine tank employing my improved brine cooler. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same on line 4) 'v of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3-is a detail of one of the cooler pipes illustrating a modification. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the exit header. Fig. 5 is a view similar to 'Fi 1 showing a modification. Fig. 6 is a sectlonal detail of a modification of'the cooler.

As illustrated in Fig. 1,A represents the brine tank of an ice or refrigerating machine, which is divided by one or more partitions a so that the brine may be circulated in a loop shaped path in said tank by means ofa propeller a or other circulating member. The ice cans B are located in one compartment b of the brine tank, and the brine cooler Dis located in another compartment of-said tank (1, opposite ends of the artition a belng perforated to permit the rine to circulate from compartment 5 to compartment (1 andreturn.

The brine cooler iscomposed of as many units as may be necessary to provide the requisite amount of cooling surface-necessary to secure the desired result. The res ective 11111138 each com rise an inlet or supp y manifold or header and an exit header V part of the cooler.

F which are united by a series of pipes each preferably composed of three sections f f f. The sections f are attached to the supply hcader and the sections 1 to the exit header, and maybe conveniently assembled in quantity at the shop. The sections 7" are preferably of pipe of larger diameter than the sections f f and are varied in length to suit the dimensions of the brine tank to which they are to be applied. The sections f are preferably united at opposite ends to the sections 7 f by means of flanged unions, provided with packingrings to secure tight joints. Inthe preferred form as shown in Fig. 2 the bends occur in the sections 7, but may, if desired, be'formed in the ends of sections f f as illustrated in Fig. 3. The sections f f are of difierent length to bring the sections f one above the other. The sections f are projected up on "the inside of the header F as indicated in Fig. 4 so that any liquid which may be forced up with the rising columns ofgas will overflow the upper ends of sections f and settle in the bottom of the header F,

which forms a catch basin, from which the liquid is conducted by pipe f to the lower A pipe f serves to conduct the gas from the header F. Where the several units are arranged close together in a separate brine cooling compartment the several pipes f from the respective headers 'F are connected to a header H at the bottom of the brine cooling compartment,

which header is in turn connected by pipes 71. with the respective headers F. pipe I leading from a condenser or liquefied gas receiver is provided with an expansion valve J and serves to supply liquefied gas to the headers H F and pipe sections f f of the respective units so that the level of the liquefied gas stands above the top of the upper section 7. In practice this body of liquefied gas slowly boils or simmers, converting the liquid to a'gas or vapor which rises through the pipe sections f to the headers F and thence ,bythe pipes f, and is conducted to a compressor or absorber to be again liquefied. A liquid gage K enables the operator to maintain the desired liquid level in the several pipes and headers.

Where it is desired to locate the several units of the cooler between the respective rows of ice cans as indicated in Fig. 5, the header H is dispensed with,and separate pipes h 'corresponding to the pipes *f, 71.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a connection of the cooler parts with the headers at right angles.

I am thus enabled to provide. a cooler adapted to operate successfully when flooded with liquefied gas, which is composed of parts adapted to be assembled at the shop, and which with slight change are adapted. to tanks of different dimens ons, and to be combined to form any desired number of units, which are stron and flexible andhave a m'inimumnumber 0 joints, and readily repaired by replacing defective parts.

The apparatus herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable modifica-- tion without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having described my invention claim is: i j

1. In an ice machine a brine cooler comprising a lower inlet header, an upper exit header, a series of pipes connecting said headers and comprising substantially vertical end sections and substantially straight and horizontal central sections, said vertical and horizontal sections being arranged in a substantially vertical plane, a --:'valve controlled liquid supply pipe, and an goverflow pipe connecting said headers, and adapted to drain a liquid from said. exit header to what I said inlet header.

In an ice machine a brine cooler adapted to be submerged in the brine to be cooled and to normally contain a body of liquefied gas, said cooler comprising a lower header, an upper header, a series of independent conduits arranged one above another in a substantially vertical plane and each connected at opposite ends respectively with said lower header and said upper header, a

catch basin formed in said upper header, an

overflow conduit from said catch basin to the lower portion of said cooler, a gas exit pipe from said upper header and a valve controlled liquefied gas supply pipe.

3. In an ice machine, a brine cooler adapted to be submerged in the brine to be cooled, and to normally contain. a body of liquefied gas, said cooler comprising a lower header, an upper header, a series of independent conduits arranged parallel with each other in a substantially vertical plane and each connectedat opposite ends respectively with said lower header and said upper header and composed of a plurality of sections united together, a catch basin formed in said upper header, an overflow conduit .from said catch basin to the lower-portion of said cooler, a gas exit pipe from said upper header and a valve controlled liquefied gas supply pipe, In an ice machine, a brine cooler adapted to be submerged in *the brine to be header and composed of end sections attached to said respective headers, and intermediate detachable sections, a catch basin formed in. said upper header, an overflow conduit from said catch basin to the lower portion of said cooler, a gas exit pipe, from said upperheader, and a valve controlled liquefied gas supply pipe.

5.. In an ice machine, a brine cooler adapted to be submerged in the brine to be cooled, and to normally contain a body of liquefied gas, said cooler comprising a lower header, an upper header, a series of independent conduits arranged parallel to each other in a substantially vertical plane and each connected respectively at opposite ends with said lower header and said upper header and composed of a plurality of sections united together, a catch basin formed in said upper header, anoverflow conduit from said catch basin to the lower portion of said cooler, a gas exit pipe from said upper header and a valve controlled liquefied gas supply pipe, and means to determine the liquid level within said cooler.

' 6. In an ice machine, a brine cooler adapted to be submerged in the brine to be cooled,

each other in a substantially vertical plane,

a lower header connected to said respective conduits at one end, -an upper header con:-

nected to said respective conduits at the 0p- 5 posite end, said conduits being composed of a plurallty of sections united together, a catch basinformed in said upper header, an

overflow conduit from said catch basin to the lower portion of said cooler, a gas exit pipe from said upper header, and a valve controlled pipe from said lower header through which impurities may be withdrawn.

7. In an ice machine, a brine cooler adapted to be submerged in the brine to be cooled. and to normally contain a body of liqu gas, said cooler consisting of a series of units, each unit comprising a series of 1ndependent conduits arranged parallel to each other in a substantially vertical p 992,689 I e i 3 a lower header connected to said respective ant from the upper headers of said 'respec- 10 conduits at one end, an upper header contive units.

nectedto said respective conduits at the op- In testimony whereof I have afiixed my posite end, a catch basin formed in said upsignature in presence of two Witnesses per header, an overflow conduit from sa1d HENPY D POVNALL catch basin to the lower portion of said w 7 cooler, valve controlled means to supply liq- \Vitnesses:

uefied gas to the several units of said cooler, C. H. Banrn,

and means to conduct the gaseous refriger- C. V. MILES. 

